Urban Neighborhoods: Research and Policy

TWO
Neighborhood-Based Participation
in the Planning Process:
Promise and Reality

Richard C. Rich

Neighborhood planning is most effective when carried
out as an ongoing process of interaction between residents and
planning officials. The creation of neighborhood councils is
one widely used technique for involving citizens in this process. This chapter evaluates the efficacy of officially recognized neighborhood councils in mobilizing citizen participation, obtaining representative input for planning decisions,
and providing residents with opportunities to influence local
government's policy. This evaluation is based on data from
sample surveys and interviews with public officials and community leaders in four U.S. cities. Each of these cities'
neighborhood council programs is typical of one of the major
types of neighborhood council programs found in other cities.
The results suggest that while neighborhood councils have a
potential for improving local governance, existing programs
include a variety of organizational and operational barriers
to the realization of that potential. The councils included
in this study generally do not engender widespread participation or provide a sound basis for representation of neighborhold preferences. The chapter concludes with a series of policy recommendations designed to increase participation, enhance representativeness, and make neighborhood councils more
effective mechanisms for resident control of neighborhood conditions.

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